JPH106671A - Ic card and its manufacture - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To manufacture an IC card efficiently by injection molding without fear about the generation of cracks on an IC chip for a module with a large-size IC chip by using an IC module formed by sealing resin of a hemispherical or a polygonal plummet shape in the IC ship. SOLUTION: A label 5 to which an IC module 3 is fixed is inserted into a specified position on a sheet 1, and a label 10 with a printed layer 12 formed is inserted into one of the faces of the sheet 1, and a resin 21 is injected into an area between both labels 5, 10 to obtain an IC card. In the case, to prevent a resin pressure from being concentrated on an IC chip part 3a at the time of molding, the resin 4 is sealed, in a hemispherical or polygonal plummet shape, on an IC chip 3a and the generation of cracks in the IC chip 3a is avoided by allowing the resin pressure to escape to the peripheral part. The label 5, 10 serve as the surface of the IC card, and have a character, a pictorial pattern, etc., printed for the IC card. In addition, the labels 5, 10 also serve as supports for fixing the IC module 3 inside a mold.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an IC card having a microcomputer and an IC module including a semiconductor memory mounted on a card base, and a method of manufacturing the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a magnetic recording medium such as a floppy disk or a cassette tape has been widely used as an external storage device of a computer and an electronic device using the computer. In order to achieve this, a card-shaped or package-shaped recording medium provided with a semiconductor memory such as a RAM or a ROM is used.

On the other hand, in the fields of credit cards, ID cards, cash cards, and the like, as a card replacing a magnetic card, a card material such as a microprocessor or RA is used.
A so-called IC card mounted with an IC module including a semiconductor memory such as an M or a ROM has been developed because of its extremely large information recording capacity and high security. These IC cards are roughly classified into a contact type and a non-contact type in reading and writing information. The contact type is a method for supplying power and communicating information by directly contacting and connecting a terminal on the reader side to an external terminal exposed on the surface of the card. Most types of current IC cards fall into this category.

On the other hand, the non-contact type performs reading and writing of information in a non-contact manner, and includes an antenna coil for communicating information and supplying power, and an IC chip for storing information and the like. Since these non-contact IC modules perform communication in a non-contact manner, there is no need to expose communication terminals to the card surface when the card is formed, so there is no need to worry about errors due to dirt on external terminals or static electricity. Therefore, there is a demand for a card of this type of IC module. The module shape and dimensions are determined by the transmission medium system, the amount of stored information, the access system, and the communication distance.

[0005] As a transmission medium system, an electromagnetic induction system for exchanging information using mutual induction, an electromagnetic induction system using an induction electromagnetic field, a microwave system using radiated electromagnetic waves, and other light using infrared light are used. There is a communication method. The difference between these transmission medium systems is that the operating frequency is different, the communication distance is different, and the number of turns and the shape of the antenna coil are greatly different. Further, the size of the IC chip to be used is also largely different due to the presence or absence of a CPU, a difference in the amount of stored information, and the like. Various methods such as a lamination method and an injection molding method have been studied as a method for manufacturing this type of IC card.

The laminating method is a method in which oversheets on which patterns, characters and the like are printed are laminated on both sides of a center core on which an IC module is mounted, and the card material is integrated by a hot press. In this case, the shape of the IC module is various, but if there is an extremely protruding portion of the module portion, a load is intensively applied to the protruding portion at the time of hot pressing, and there is a concern that the module may be damaged. . Also, in the case of the laminating method, if there is an uneven gap between the center core portion on which the IC module is mounted and the oversheet portion at the time of hot pressing, the oversheet is torn, resulting in distortion and the like. There is a concern that the picture will be correspondingly distorted.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, a counterbore process is provided in advance so as to conform to the module shape in the center core portion. However, the shapes of the modules are various, and each module has a different shape. Providing a corresponding counterbore process is not suitable for production efficiency. In order to prevent a concentrated load from being applied to the projecting portion of the module during hot pressing, a method of pre-processing the IC module in advance into a flat plate shape and then performing a pressing process is conceivable. Therefore, this method cannot be said to be suitable for production efficiency.

On the other hand, in recent years, in terms of quality and production efficiency,
A proposal has been made to make a card using an injection molding machine. Therefore, the inventors have previously formed a printed layer on at least one surface at one position corresponding to the front or back surface of the card in the mold, and inserted a label on which the IC module was fixed on the opposite surface or the same surface. In the other position in the mold, after inserting a label having a print layer formed on at least one surface, a card manufacturing method of molding a card by injecting a resin between the two labels is proposed. I have. According to this proposal, painting can be performed simultaneously with carding by one injection molding, so that it is excellent in that the card can be efficiently produced, but the IC chip size is large.
For the C module, there was a problem that the IC chip was broken. As described above, the size of this IC chip may vary from about 1 mm square to 5 mm depending on the amount of stored information and the presence or absence of a CPU.
There are various things up to mm square or more. The load at the time of molding applied to these IC chips greatly varies depending on the chip size. As the chip size increases, the possibility of chip cracking increases.

[0009] That is, IC chips are obtained by cutting a wafer made of planar silicon, and those used for IC cards generally have a thickness of about 100 μm to 300 μm. Epoxy is used to secure physical strength. It is often sealed with resin or the like. However, these sealings are finally planarized on the IC chip for the purpose of reducing the thickness of the module. Therefore, the pressure of the molding resin that has flowed onto the IC chip in the mold at the time of molding is applied to the IC chip as it is, so that a large-sized chip is likely to concentrate on the IC chip. In addition, in particular, when a card is formed by an injection compression method in order to improve the filling property of the molding resin into the IC module portion, there is a concern that concentrated pressure is similarly applied to the IC chip portion. For this reason, the application of concentrated pressure to the IC chip causes chip breakage, which is expected to be a serious defect on the product. Therefore, the resin pressure during molding is concentrated on the IC chip. There is a need for a way to avoid this.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and is intended to provide an IC card for a module having a large IC chip size without chip breakage or the like. An object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing an IC card which can be efficiently obtained by injection molding, and an IC card manufactured by the manufacturing method.

[0011]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a label having an IC module fixed at least in a predetermined position on a sheet, and a label printed on at least one surface. A label provided with a layer is attached, and an IC card is formed by injecting and molding a resin between the two labels, wherein the IC card is formed by sealing the resin on the IC chip in a hemispherical or polygonal pyramid shape. IC module.

According to the method for manufacturing an IC card according to the second aspect of the present invention, the IC card is placed at least at a predetermined position on the sheet at one position corresponding to the front or back surface of the card in the mold.
Insert a label that fixes the module, insert a label formed with a printed layer on at least one surface at the other position in the mold, inject resin between the two labels, and mold the card. In the method for manufacturing an IC card, the IC module is formed by card molding using an IC module in which a resin is sealed in a hemispherical or polygonal pyramid shape on an IC chip.

[0013]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below based on embodiments. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a cross section of an example of an IC card according to an embodiment of the present invention. That is,
IC module 3 at least in a predetermined position on sheet 1
The label 5 having the printed layer 12 formed on at least one surface is inserted at the other position in the mold, and the resin 21 is injected between the two labels. In a method of manufacturing an IC card formed by card molding, in order to prevent the resin pressure during molding from being concentrated on the IC chip portion 3a, the resin 4 is sealed on the IC chip 3a in a hemispherical or polygonal pyramid shape. Stopping is performed and the resin pressure is released to the peripheral portion to avoid chip breakage. In addition, both labels 5, 10
Is a surface of the card, and serves as a support for printing characters, pictures, etc. on the card and for fixing the IC module 3 in the mold.

As the label sheets 1 and 11, any printable paper, synthetic paper, plastic film, or a sheet composed of a combination of these materials can be used. As an example, high-quality paper, coated paper, art paper, paper having printability such as card paper,
In addition to synthetic paper, polyolefin resins such as polyethylene and polypropylene, polyester resins, polycarbonate resins, polyvinyl chloride resins, plastic films or sheets obtained by extrusion molding, calender roll molding, etc. A composite sheet made of these materials is exemplified. The thickness may be selected from a range of about 10 μm to 200 μm in consideration of printability.

Characters and pictures are printed on the sheets 1 and 11, and can be provided by a known printing method such as an offset printing method, a gravure printing method, or a screen printing method. Although not shown, it is also possible to provide a printing layer on the front surface or the back surface of the sheet 1 used for the label 5. In the case of the offset printing method, an ink such as a polyester acrylate-based resin, a polyurethane acrylate-based resin, an epoxy acrylate-based resin, an alkyd-based resin, or the like can be used as a material of the printing layer 12 such as characters and pictures. In the case of the gravure printing method, inks such as cellulose resin, chlorinated polypropylene, vinyl chloride / vinyl acetate copolymer resin, saturated polyester resin, and acrylic resin can be used. In the case of the screen printing method, an ink such as a polyester resin, a vinyl chloride / vinyl acetate copolymer resin, and an acrylic polyol resin can be used.

Further, a protective layer 13 can be provided for the purpose of improving the resistance of the printed layer 12 such as characters and pictures to abrasion and the like. As the material of such a protective layer, acrylic resin, vinyl chloride resin, nitrocellulose, hydroxycellulose, carboxymethylcellulose, polyvinyl alcohol, styrene-maleic acid copolymer, polyester resin, ABS resin and the like can be used. Or a solvent such as xylene or the like, and then applied and dried by a gravure method, a roll coating method or the like to form a heat-resistant protective layer. Further, a cured resin such as a thermosetting resin, an ultraviolet curing resin, and an electron beam curing resin may be used.

An IC module 3 is fixed on a surface of the sheet 1 opposite to or on the same side as a printing layer (not shown) to form a label 5. The IC module 3 includes a coil for performing power supply and information communication with the memory IC chip 3a. As a fixing method to the sheet 1, heat fusion,
Fixing by solvent bonding, high frequency welding, ultrasonic welding, use of an adhesive, or the like is conceivable. Examples of the method of heat fusion include a method such as a heat sealer and a heat lamination. The solvent bonding method is a method in which the bonding surface is dissolved with a solvent having high solubility in common to both the label and the resin sealing the IC chip, and then dried and bonded and integrated. Further, as an example of the adhesive, one liquid of epoxy, urethane, silicone rubber, acrylic or polyamide resin,
Alternatively, a two-component curable adhesive, a hot melt wax or the like can be used.

The fixed IC chip 3a is sealed with resin in a hemispherical or polygonal pyramid shape in order to prevent chip cracking due to concentration of resin pressure during molding. These are for the purpose of releasing the resin pressure during molding to the periphery of the chip, and an epoxy resin or the like can be used.

The label 5 on which the characters, pictures and the like obtained as described above are printed, and on which the IC module 3 is fixed, is inserted and sucked at one position corresponding to the front surface or the back surface in the mold. Adsorption may be performed by air suction or the like. A label 10 having a printed layer 12 formed on at least one surface is inserted and sucked into a card surface opposite to the surface on which the label 5 is sucked.

The card molding resin 21 is injected into the mold between the two labels inserted into the mold by the above-described method, and then injected and filled to form a card. Also,
Needless to say, a card may be formed by an injection compression molding method in order to improve the filling property of the resin into the thin portion between the front and back labels. As the molding resin 21, general-purpose polystyrene resin, impact-resistant polystyrene resin, acrylonitrile styrene resin, ABS resin, acrylic resin, polyethylene resin, polypropylene resin, polyamide resin, polyacetal resin, polycarbonate resin,
Thermoplastic resin such as vinyl chloride resin, modified P / PO resin, polyethylene terephthalate resin, polybutylene terephthalate resin, polyphenylene sulphate resin, or alloy resin obtained by compounding these materials, and reinforced resin by adding glass fiber Can be used.

According to the IC card of the present invention, the module size and shape are not limited, and the IC card can be efficiently obtained by injection molding without generating cracks in the IC chip portion 3a due to resin pressure during molding. be able to.

[0022]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail. After fixing the IC module 3 on the transparent or colored vinyl chloride sheet 1 having a thickness of 50 μm using the silicone adhesive 2, the IC chip 3 a is hemispherically sealed with the epoxy resin 4 to obtain the surface label 5. . Next, on a transparent or colored vinyl chloride sheet 11 having a thickness of 50 μm, a printing layer 12 of characters and pictures is provided by a screen printing method to a thickness of 1 μm, and a protective layer 13 of an acrylic resin is further formed thereon by a screen printing method. The sheet was provided at 2 μm on the entire surface of the sheet to obtain a back label 10. The two front and back labels 5, 10 obtained by the above method are inserted and adsorbed in a card-shaped mold, and then acrylonitrile-
The butadiene-styrene resin 21 was injected, cooled and solidified to form a card. According to the above-described manufacturing method, a good IC card without breaking the IC chip could be obtained.

[0023]

As described above, the present invention has the following effects. That is, according to the present invention, the IC
Regardless of the size of the chip size, sealing the resin into a hemispherical or polygonal pyramid shape disperses the pressure of the card resin to be injected, making it possible to improve the efficiency of the IC card without cracking the IC chip by injection molding. It has the effect of being able to produce it in an efficient manner.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a cross section of an example of an IC card according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Sheet 2 ... Silicon adhesive 3 ... IC module 3a ... IC chip 4 ... Encapsulation resin 5 ... Label (with IC module) 10 ... Label (for print layer) 11 ... Sheet 12 ... Print layer 13 ... Protection Layer 21: resin for injection molding

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A label having an IC module fixed at least at a predetermined position on a sheet and a label having a printed layer applied to at least one surface are mounted, and a resin is injected between the two labels to form a molded article. An IC card according to claim 1, wherein said IC card uses an IC module in which a resin is sealed in a hemispherical or polygonal pyramid shape on an IC chip. 2. An IC at one position corresponding to the front or back surface of a card in a mold, and at least a predetermined position on a sheet.
A label formed by fixing a module is inserted, a label formed by forming a printing layer on at least one surface is inserted into the other position in the mold, and a resin is injected and molded between the labels. A method for manufacturing an IC card, wherein the IC module is formed by molding a card using an IC module in which a resin is sealed in a hemispherical or polygonal pyramid shape on an IC chip. .